Help defeat Digital Restrictions Management!

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<your-library> eliminate DRM!

Dear [Library Trustees, head of library, or whomever is the most important figure or group to target.]

We call upon you to remove the unethical Digital Restrictions
Management (DRM) technology that is locking down your digital
collection. DRM compromises public trust for the sake of providing
limited access to popular works to just some patrons in the
short-term. We request that you immediately establish policies against
the use of DRM technologies.

DRM requires patrons to cede control of their computers to third-party
corporations, so they can restrict when and how they may access
"checked out" books or audio files. This is an inappropriate and
unethical requirement for [Your-Library's
Name] to impose on its patrons. The notion of checking
something out is based on physical scarcity -- to be manufacturing
scarcity where none exists is entirely contrary to the mission of
[Your-Library's Name].

By using DRM, you are submitting patrons to the onerous and unethical
legal terms involved with purchasing, installing, and using software
such as Microsoft Windows and the Windows Media Player. In the case of
Microsoft Windows, this entails agreeing to terms that allow Microsoft
to delete software and data that the user legally owns and has created
or installed on their own machines. For [Your-Library's Name] to require their patrons to
agree to such End User License Agreements as a prerequisite for
gaining access to its collection is an injustice.

These software requirements drive the sales of DRM technology vendors,
such as Microsoft and OverDrive, providing an incentive for patrons to
discontinue using software and materials that do not impose DRM. The
common argument that DRM and proprietary software are necessary
because publishers require them becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy,
because the library is using its own market power to encourage their
use, hurting the emergence of competing alternatives in the process.

Random House, the largest publisher of eBooks and audio books
worldwide, recently announced its decision to drop DRM from the vast
majority of its catalog. Random House made this decision after doing a
study which found zero cases of DRM-free works being shared
illegally. They found that it was ONLY the DRMed titles that were
being shared.

The fear, uncertainty, and doubt used by the software industry to
convince publishers and distributors to use DRM has blindsided the
public and institutions of public trust. Little consideration has been
given to the ethical and long-term implications of accepting and
encouraging the use of DRM. Defending the public interest means
thwarting DRM.

For these reasons, we ask that immediately embargo the use of DRM on their collections
and establish formal policies against it. There are undoubtedly many
challenges facing [Your-Library's Name]
today that need to be considered, but few can be as timely or as
important as the way [Your-Library's Name]
defines itself and its role in our digital age.

Sincerely,

[We recommend getting a group of signers or others
to help you in this endeavour, if possible, but, it is better to not
delay sending this or to become encouraged if you can not find such a
group.]